Do you have an employee retention problem?
If you’re unsure how to answer that question, consider: How many people have quit your company or left your team in the last six months to a year? Were these long-term employees or newer hires? If the number feels bigger than it should be, you’ve got a retention problem, and it’s time to get to the bottom of it.
Here are mistakes companies make that drive employees to look for new jobs:
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Not setting clear expectations and standards for work and employee performance.
Employees who feel like they’re being asked to do things outside their job description on a regular basis, whether they’re new or they’ve been with the company for years, will get frustrated. If they don’t understand their full list of responsibilities, and these new tasks are, in fact, part of their job description, that goes back to poor onboarding and a lack of communication. Make sure every employee knows what’s expected of them, clearly and plainly, and if their job description needs to change, communicate that as soon as possible.
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A lack of trust.
Whether real or perceived, people who don’t feel like they’re trusted to do their jobs won’t stay long. If someone feels like their every action is under a microscope, second-guessed, or they’re constantly being told to do things they’ve been doing for a long time, it can erode self-confidence while also being really annoying. No one likes being micromanaged. Either you trust them to do their job, or they shouldn’t be employed by the company any longer. Let them do their work.
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Missing opportunities to share accomplishments.
Your team works hard to meet the goals and deadlines set for them. They pull together to complete tasks on time, even when things might feel impossible. They deserve to be acknowledged for their hard work! This isn’t about handing out participation trophies or making a big to-do over every little thing; it’s about letting your employees know you see and appreciate their hard work and you are grateful for it. Just a few words of thanks can go a long way. People who feel invisible have little reason to stick around.
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A perceived lack of concern about employee safety.
Warehouses can be dangerous places, with heavy machinery being operated on a regular basis and lots of moving parts and pieces at all times. It can be so easy for little safety hazards, or big ones, to pop up. If they’re not quickly and properly addressed, especially if an employee raises a concern, it can appear that management doesn’t care what happens to the workers. Unsafe conditions can drive people out the door, and it could damage your reputation with potential hires, your competitors, and within your community at large.
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Disregarding feedback and concerns.
If your team starts to complain about working long hours, and you tell them to suck it up or some similar sentiment, that will do little to improve morale. If this happens time and again, they’ll look for a new place that doesn’t make people feel like they should be grateful just to have a job. Similarly, if employees are repeatedly told they need to choose between their job and their home life, that can poison the well really fast, especially when many other employers are appreciating a home-work balance in new ways.
It’s possible some of the above scenarios have happened at your warehouse without feeling like big deals. It’s possible some of this is happening without any intention of malice or aggravation. But be aware of your employee morale and the attitudes of your team before things hit a tipping point and all that institutional knowledge walks out the door.
If you’re looking to bring in new employees to help usher in a new era for your company, call Debbie’s Staffing today. We have great candidates ready to work for a company like yours, and they’re eager to get to work quickly. Call Debbie’s Staffing, and let’s get to work!
